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Ark Invest buys $13.9M in Circle shares while trimming Robinhood stake

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Ark Invest buys $13.9M in Circle shares while trimming Robinhood stake

Ark Invest has expanded its exposure to Circle and Block while cutting its Robinhood position, adding nearly $15.4 million worth of shares across the three companies.

Summary

  • Ark Invest bought nearly $13.9 million worth of Circle shares and added to its Block position.
  • The investment firm sold about $3.15 million worth of Robinhood shares as the stock moved higher.
  • The latest trades continue Ark’s recent pattern of buying selected stocks after price declines while rebalancing portfolio holdings.

According to Ark Invest’s latest daily trading disclosure, the investment firm purchased 220,012 shares of Circle Internet Group across its ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK), ARK Next Generation Internet ETF (ARKW), and ARK Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF). Based on Tuesday’s closing price of $63.22, the acquisition was worth about $13.9 million.

The same filing showed Ark also bought 19,029 shares of Block Inc. through ARKW and ARKF. Valued at roughly $1.52 million using Tuesday’s closing price of $79.99, the purchase came as the blockchain-focused fintech company ended the session up 1.61%.

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On the selling side, the firm trimmed its Robinhood Markets position by 27,742 shares. With Robinhood closing 3.27% higher at $113.45 on Tuesday, the sale was valued at about $3.15 million.

Circle purchase comes after recent price slide

Circle edged up 0.35% on Tuesday but remained down 24.17% over the past month after a sharp decline earlier in July following the launch of the Open USD stablecoin project.

The recent weakness has divided analysts. While some continue to hold a positive view on the stablecoin issuer, Mizuho downgraded Circle to Underperform from Neutral and lowered its price target to $50 from $85. The brokerage said competition from Open USD could pressure Circle’s business over time.

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The latest purchase also extends a pattern seen in recent weeks. On June 26, Ark increased its holdings in Circle, Coinbase, Bullish, and Robinhood after all four stocks finished the session lower, adding about 9,264 Circle shares, 9,014 Coinbase shares, 9,136 Bullish shares, and 35,023 Robinhood shares as prices weakened.

Earlier portfolio updates showed a similar approach. Ark bought roughly $18.4 million worth of Coinbase after the exchange operator’s shares had fallen for nearly a month, accumulated more than $4.4 million of Bullish stock during a multi-session decline, and added about $32.5 million worth of SpaceX following a drop of more than 16% from its post-listing peak.

Unlike the latest Circle purchase, the Robinhood transaction moved in the opposite direction. The brokerage’s shares gained more than 3% on Tuesday, and Ark reduced its position after previously buying additional Robinhood shares during periods of weakness.

Ark manages its exchange-traded funds under a portfolio rule that limits any single holding to no more than 10% of a fund’s assets. As stock prices change, the firm periodically rebalances positions to keep those weightings within its target range.

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Ethereum outruns bitcoin as ETF money returns, almost all of it from BlackRock’s fund

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Why cautious TradFi firms love staked ether

Bitcoin’s funds are still lurching, however. U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs shed $424 million on July 13, then took back $181 million the next day. Money leaving and returning inside 48 hours is not indicative of an allocator building a position.

As such, the ether bid is narrower. Of the $53.8 million that came in on Wednesday, BlackRock’s ETHA absorbed $45.3 million and its smaller ETHB fund took $4 million, leaving the other eight products to split less than $5 million between them.

Grayscale’s original ether trust, which charges 2.5% against BlackRock’s 0.25%, has now bled $5.3 billion since launch.

Ether also picked up a demand source that did not exist three weeks ago. Robinhood Chain, the layer-2 network the brokerage switched on July 1, pays gas in ether and settles to Ethereum, and it has been clearing more than $800 million in daily decentralized exchange volume, most of it memecoin trading.

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Bitcoin is steadier than its ETF flows suggest, however. Nansen data shows exchange outflows holding through the escalation in the Middle East, with no meaningful rotation into stablecoins, the move that usually marks wallets stepping back.

Funding rates are near zero, which is suggestive of the overleveraged longs that fuelled June’s liquidation cascades have already been cleared out. Bitcoin dominance is 58.3%.

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Trump to Hold Senate Talks on CLARITY Act Thursday, Politico Says

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Crypto Breaking News

U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with multiple senators at the White House this Thursday to discuss the status of the crypto market structure bill—commonly referred to as the CLARITY Act—and how momentum for the legislation can be sustained.

According to Politico, Senator Bernie Moreno said a group of senators will brief the president on the bill and “its path to success,” with Senator Cynthia Lummis also expected to attend, according to a Senate Republican aide. The meeting arrives as lawmakers try to finalize a revised version of the bill before the Senate’s August recess.

Key takeaways

  • Trump is set to meet with senators Thursday on progress toward passing the CLARITY Act.
  • Lawmakers are racing to agree on unresolved provisions and move toward a Senate vote before the August recess.
  • Senator Cynthia Lummis says a new draft will be introduced in the coming days and could reach the Senate floor next week.
  • Prediction market pricing currently implies a higher likelihood of a pre-recess Senate vote than of the bill becoming law this year.

White House meeting signals push for urgency

The White House discussion is framed as part of a broader push to keep the CLARITY Act moving through the legislative process. Moreno, speaking to Politico, said senators would review “the entirety of the bill” with the president, adding that Trump has been closely engaged with the effort.

Moreno’s remarks underscore how the initiative is being treated as a political and regulatory priority rather than a routine bill. For investors and builders, the potential stakes are straightforward: a clearer federal market-structure framework could affect how crypto-related products and services are regulated, what compliance pathways look like, and how market participants prepare for enforcement risk.

The meeting also points to how timing has become central. The push is being designed around the Senate calendar, with lawmakers seeking what they describe as the last realistic chance to pass the bill before midterm elections.

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Lawmakers seek agreement before the August recess

According to Politico, senators are aiming to reach agreement by the end of this week. Senator Thom Tillis—identified by Politico as one of the lawmakers working through “unresolved provisions”—said he is hoping negotiators can come to terms before the August recess window closes.

“I think it’s critical if we’re going to try and get this across the floor before August recess.”

That statement highlights the bill’s current status: while the legislative push is moving forward, negotiators still appear to be addressing remaining sticking points that could determine whether the bill can secure enough support to advance.

Lawmakers are reportedly awaiting a revised draft of the legislation, which is expected to clarify or adjust the provisions that have slowed progress. The existence of an updated draft matters because it can change what senators consider “vote-ready,” and because revisions often influence how stakeholders—such as financial intermediaries, exchanges, and compliance teams—assess operational readiness.

Senator Lummis: revised bill soon, Senate vote likely next week

In an interview on Fox Business on Wednesday, Senator Lummis said a new draft version of the CLARITY Act will be introduced in the next few days and that she expects it to be on the Senate floor next week.

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The prospect of a refreshed text entering the floor schedule suggests that negotiations are nearing a stage where the remaining questions are either narrowed or resolved enough to allow a formal vote process to begin. For market participants, the practical implication is that uncertainty may be compressed quickly—though the exact policy content of the revised draft is what ultimately determines whether support broadens or fractures.

Cointelegraph attempted to reach Lummis for further comment.

Prediction markets: pre-recess vote seems more likely than passage into law

While lawmakers try to close the gap on legislative details, traders are also publishing their expectations through prediction markets. On Kalshi, traders have assigned a 79% chance that the Senate will vote on the CLARITY Act before the August recess, up from 68.8% the previous day, according to the current market view on the platform.

At the same time, those markets still reflect skepticism about the bill becoming law within the same calendar year. A $3 million Kalshi market gives the legislation a 36% chance of becoming law in 2026, and a 62% chance of doing so before the end of 2027.

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Polymarket traders similarly place the chance lower for near-term enactment, pricing a 39% probability that the CLARITY Act will be signed into law this year.

Together, these two sets of odds point to a common pattern in Washington timelines: a vote can be scheduled well before final enactment, but turning that vote into signed legislation can require additional steps, bargaining, or reconciliation of competing priorities.

What to watch next

The next key developments are the arrival of the revised CLARITY Act draft and whether it secures enough support to get scheduled for a Senate floor vote—especially given the compressed timeline ahead of the August recess. Traders and lawmakers will likely treat the updated text as the moment when remaining unresolved issues move from negotiation to decisional politics, with follow-through into final passage still far from guaranteed.

Risk & affiliate notice: Crypto assets are volatile and capital is at risk. This article may contain affiliate links. Read full disclosure

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Two groups of BTC investors sell on the rise as prices near $65,000.

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As the BTC price rises, perpetual futures may look bearish. They're not, analyst 10x says.

Some observers remain skeptical of the sustainability of this inflation-led bounce, arguing that the collapse in oil prices mainly drove the slower growth in the cost of living in June and that the recent bounce in oil makes that data obsolete.

“The 3.5% [CPI] number was driven by a 10% drop in gasoline through June, and that move had already reversed before the report was published, with Brent at a one-month high as the Hormuz situation escalates,” Ryan Lee, chief analyst at crypto exchange Bitget, said in an email.

“Markets are rallying on a June photograph, while July develops differently, and the July print will be the first to carry the war premium,” Lee added.

Jasper De Maere, OTC trader at lading market maker Wintermute, also called for caution, while acknowledging inflation-led bounce and profit-taking near $65,000.

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“While the inflation data is genuinely constructive and while positive headlines are very refreshing, it’s worth noting the backdrop hasn’t cleared with U.S. strikes on Iran are into a fourth consecutive day, and the Fear & Greed Index only moved from 22 to 25, still Extreme Fear. One soft CPI print against an active military escalation is not the same as a durable regime shift in risk appetite,” he said in an email.

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Trump to Meet Senators on CLARITY Act push

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Trump to Meet Senators on CLARITY Act push

US President Donald Trump is set to meet with several senators at the White House on Thursday to discuss progress on the crypto market structure bill. 

According to Politico, Senator Bernie Moreno said a group of senators will brief the president on the bill and “its path to success.” Senator Cynthia Lummis will also attend, according to a Senate Republican aide.

“We’ll be talking about the entirety of the bill. I mean, obviously the president’s been very engaged in this bill,” said Moreno. “He’s the one who’s really driven the innovation that I think will pay dividends.” 

The meeting comes as lawmakers race to pass the crypto market structure bill, known as the CLARITY Act, before the Senate’s August recess. Many lawmakers see it as the last realistic opportunity to pass the legislation before the midterm elections. 

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“I’m hoping that we can come up with some agreement by the end of this week,” Senator Thom Tillis, who has been helping work through the CLARITY Act’s unresolved provisions, told Politico. 

“I think it’s critical if we’re going to try and get this across the floor before August recess.”

Lawmakers are awaiting a revised draft of the bill. 

In an interview with Fox Business on Wednesday, Lummis said a new draft version of the bill will be introduced in the next few days and expects it to be on the Senate floor next week. 

Cointelegraph reached out to Senator Lummis for comment.

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Prediction market odds on CLARITY Act success 

Traders on prediction market Kalshi have put a 79% chance on the CLARITY Act being voted on by the Senate before the August recess, up from 68.8% the previous day. 

Related: Three US senators oppose CLARITY Act on ethics grounds with vote expected soon

However, traders remain less optimistic that the CLARITY Act will become law this year. 

A $3 million prediction market on Kalshi gives the crypto bill a 36% chance of becoming law in 2026, and a 62% chance of doing so before the end of 2027.

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Polymarket traders, meanwhile, have put the chance of the CLARITY Act being signed into law this year at 39%.

Magazine: Is Robinhood Chain’s success bullish or bearish for ETH the asset?

Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.

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SPCX Stock Struggles Ahead of August Earnings and Share Unlocks

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Sitting just above its initial IPO price, and below what the shares sold at on Day 1, SPCX is struggling

SpaceX (SPCX) shares closed at $135.27 on Wednesday. That sits just above the company’s $135 initial public offering (IPO) price, after an intraday low of $132.28.

The dip marks SPCX’s first close below its IPO price since the stock’s Nasdaq debut on June 12. It also lands weeks before dates that could reshape how the stock trades.

A Shrinking Float Meets an Expanding One

Roughly 95% of SpaceX’s shares remain locked following the IPO. That leaves only about 5% of the company freely tradable. That scarcity helped fuel the stock’s early run past $2.6 trillion in valuation.

Sitting just above its initial IPO price, and below what the shares sold at on Day 1, SPCX is struggling
Sitting just above its initial IPO price, and below what the shares sold at on Day 1, SPCX is struggling. Image Source: Trading View

That structure starts changing soon. SpaceX will release additional 7% tranches through August and September. A larger release follows third-quarter results later this year. Elon Musk’s 6.4 billion-share stake remains locked separately until June 2027.

Earnings Day Doubles as Unlock Day

Analysts expect SpaceX to report its first quarterly results in the first week of August. The same earnings window also triggers the first scheduled unlock. It frees roughly 20% of previously restricted shares for sale.

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A bonus 10% tranche unlocks early if shares trade 30% above the IPO price. That threshold requires five of the ten trading days before the report to close above $175.50. SPCX currently trades well below that mark.

The stock’s Nasdaq-100 inclusion failed to reverse the slide, and shares have already fallen dramatically from their peak. Still, some technical analysts still see a rebound scenario forming with $158 in view.

Whether the August report gives insiders reason to hold or sell into a newly available float remains uncertain. That decision may reveal as much as the earnings numbers themselves.

The post SPCX Stock Struggles Ahead of August Earnings and Share Unlocks appeared first on BeInCrypto.

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Crypto Social Activity Just Hit a Multi-Month Low: Why That Could Be Bullish for Bitcoin

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Discussion surrounding cryptocurrencies across X, Reddit, Telegram, and other social platforms has dropped to its second-lowest daily level since October 2024. This comes even as Bitcoin continues trading around the mid-$60,000 range.

According to the latest findings by Santiment, while the lack of conversation may appear bearish at first glance, it also reflects weak retail interest, which has often coincided with market turning points.

Crypto Chatter Fades

The current sense of “deadness” across social timelines can feel bearish, but Santiment described this disinterest as one of crypto’s “most underrated forms of FUD,” while adding that when people stop posting, debating, and reacting to every market move, conditions become more favorable for large investors.

The analytics platform said markets can become easier for large investors to influence because fewer retail traders are actively crowding trades during periods of low engagement. “Whales don’t need a euphoric crowd to accumulate,” it explained while adding that some of crypto’s strongest rebounds have formed when retail attention was low, sentiment was exhausted, and markets faced less resistance on the way higher.

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Bitcoin continues to face pressure from macroeconomic uncertainty, swings in spot ETF flows, and a cautious risk appetite. According to Santiment, when discussion rates are this low, even a modest change in demand can have a more noticeable effect on prices “than the headline mood suggests.”

While history does not guarantee another rebound, previous market cycles have repeatedly rewarded periods when whales had room to accumulate before retail investors realized the market had already begun to recover.

Macro Risks Remain

Bitcoin briefly touched $65,000 before undergoing a minor pullback. It is currently trading a little above $64,500. Bitunix analyst Dean Chen believes if the crypto asset manages to hold above this level, “it stands a good chance of sustaining this upward momentum.”

The stronger-than-expected CPI reading has lifted near-term market sentiment, but Bitcoin’s next move is still expected to hinge on several macroeconomic developments, Chen said.

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These include whether inflation continues to cool even if energy prices rebound, whether the Federal Reserve sticks to its data-driven approach when making policy decisions, and whether changes in Japanese capital flows lead to shifts in global liquidity.

The post Crypto Social Activity Just Hit a Multi-Month Low: Why That Could Be Bullish for Bitcoin appeared first on CryptoPotato.

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$6 Million Vault Exploit Forces DeFi Platform Summer.fi to Wind Down

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Summer.fi will wind down operations after a $6.04 million exploit hit its Lazy Summer Protocol on July 6, wiping out the capital the team needed to rebuild.

The five-year-old Decentralized Finance (DeFi) platform said the app will remain live until August 31.

Summer.fi Closes Doors as July 6 Exploit Wipes Out Rebuild Runway

In a blog post, the team tied DeFi’s wider slump to the Stream Finance fallout of October 2025. It described the July exploit as a “devastating moment” for users and the surrounding ecosystem.

BeInCrypto reported losses of roughly $6 million. The attacker manipulated the share price across two of the protocol’s USDC vaults on Ethereum (ETH).

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The damage landed unevenly between the two pools. LazyVault_LowerRisk_USDC (0x98C49e13…EcF17) took a net loss of nearly 5.64 million USDC. LazyVault_HigherRisk_USDC (0xE9cDA459…cB06) lost about 0.40 million USDC.

The team said a meaningful portion of its own capital was held in the affected vaults. That loss removed the runway required to recover.

“After exploring every alternative, we have concluded that ceasing operations is the only viable path forward, even though it gives us great sadness,” the team said.

Despite the shutdown, Summer.fi noted that the Lazy Summer DAO is working to restore withdrawals and redemptions across all vaults, including the two affected by the exploit. Once those processes are complete, full vault functionality will be reinstated through the Summer.fi interface.

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Summer.fi joins a growing list of protocols that could not survive a breach. Radiant Capital wound down in June after a $50 million exploit. Step Finance closed in February following a treasury hack. In each case, the exploit proved terminal rather than survivable.

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Revolut Gets UAE In-Principle Approval for Crypto Services

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Crypto Breaking News

Revolut has received in-principle approval from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) to expand its crypto-related offerings in the United Arab Emirates. The UK-based financial firm said the regulator’s green light would allow it to provide a range of virtual-asset services to users in the UAE through its app and its Revolut X exchange.

The development comes after the UAE Central Bank approved Revolut’s payment activities. In its Wednesday notice, Revolut stated that VARA granted the company in-principle clearance to operate broker-dealer, management and investment, and exchange services in the UAE, framing the move as a step toward deploying “trusted virtual asset services within a regulated environment.”

Key takeaways

  • VARA approval in principle positions Revolut to offer broker-dealer, management and investment, and exchange services for digital assets in the UAE.
  • The go-ahead follows UAE Central Bank approval for Revolut’s payment activities, signaling coordination across regulators.
  • Revolut expects UAE users to be able to buy, sell, and hold digital assets via the Revolut app and Revolut X.
  • The UAE move follows Revolut’s March UK banking license and is part of broader, ongoing expansion plans.
  • Separately, Revolut previously said it plans to delist USDT for EEA and Switzerland starting in August under MiCA-linked risk and licensing review.

VARA’s in-principle approval gives Revolut a regulated UAE runway

In a statement shared this week, Revolut said VARA’s in-principle authorization would enable it to introduce virtual asset services through its existing user interface while operating under Dubai’s virtual asset licensing framework. The firm did not describe the precise next licensing steps required to fully implement these activities, but it characterized the approval as laying “the foundation” for its rollout within a regulated environment.

For investors and market participants, the significance lies in how rapidly established financial platforms are aligning with UAE’s emerging regulatory architecture. VARA’s approach—granting “in-principle” approvals alongside full licenses—creates a structured path for operators to expand while still meeting regulatory conditions.

VARA maintains a public register of licensed entities. As of the time of publication, the regulator listed 51 companies licensed to offer crypto-related services in the UAE, with 22 entities granted in-principle approval.

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Payments first: the Central Bank condition and what it implies

Revolut noted that the VARA decision followed “a green light” from the Central Bank of the UAE for payment-related activities. That sequencing suggests that, at least for Revolut’s roadmap, crypto services are being bundled with—rather than treated as separate from—broader payment and financial compliance processes.

The practical outcome for users is that Revolut’s app-based experience for digital asset transactions can be rolled out with fewer friction points, since the company is addressing payments oversight alongside virtual-asset regulation. It also provides a useful signal for other fintechs: in the UAE, crypto expansion may depend on satisfying cross-regulatory requirements, not only virtual-asset licensing.

Expansion momentum: from UK banking license to pending US and Peru filings

Revolut’s UAE announcement builds on its recent progress in traditional finance licensing. The firm had received a UK banking license in March, according to earlier reporting. Revolut’s stated expansion plans also include similar applications pending for a US banking charter and for licensing in Peru.

From a sector perspective, Revolut’s pattern is telling: it continues to use regulatory milestones in core banking to support downstream products, including digital assets. While crypto access is still heavily shaped by licensing frameworks, the ability to operate within regulated payment and banking environments can matter for settlement flows, custody/handling models, and compliance controls.

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UAE approval lands amid shifting crypto product decisions in Europe

Even as Revolut moves forward in the UAE, the company has also signaled adjustments to its crypto offerings elsewhere. Last week, a Revolut spokesperson told Cointelegraph that the firm planned to delist Tether USDt (USDT) starting in August for the European Economic Area and Switzerland.

Revolut linked that decision to a review of its crypto services and risk considerations under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework. MiCA requires crypto-asset service providers to be licensed by July 1, and Revolut’s approach indicates how firms may rework their stablecoin lineup rather than carry all products through the licensing transition.

That contrast—gaining in-principle approval in the UAE while trimming exposure in Europe—highlights a broader reality for crypto platforms: regulatory compliance can drive both expansion and contraction depending on jurisdictional requirements, product classifications, and risk assessment outcomes.

What to watch next

Revolut’s UAE in-principle approval is a meaningful step, but users and market observers should watch for the subsequent regulatory milestones needed for full implementation, as well as how the firm’s approach to stablecoins and licensing evolves under MiCA in Europe.

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SK Hynix Drops Near 11% as KOSPI Hits 37th Sidecar of 2026

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The KOSPI is in a technical bear market with SK Hynix also down more than 20% in the past month.

SK Hynix shares dropped 10.95% in Seoul on July 16, reversing the previous session’s rally. A broader Asian chip selloff also dragged the KOSPI into its 37th sidecar of 2026.

Samsung Electronics fell 7.33% in the same session. The KOSPI opened at 6,960.50, down 4.45%, and losses deepened to an early morning low of 6,753.

SK Hynix Leads the Asian Chip Selloff

SK Hynix fell to a low of 1.823 million won, wiping out most of an 8% rally from the prior session. The stock had already logged its steepest one-day drop on Monday, as investors booked profits on AI-spending concerns.

Other Korean chip names slid alongside it. Seoul Semiconductor lost more than 5%, Samsung SDI fell over 2%, and LG Innotek dropped about 1%.

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The KOSPI is in a technical bear market with SK Hynix also down more than 20% in the past month.
The KOSPI is in a technical bear market with SK Hynix also down more than 20% in the past month. Image Source: Trading View

The weakness spread across Japan too. Advantest fell more than 6%, SoftBank Group slid nearly 7%, Tokyo Electron lost over 5%, and Renesas Electronics dropped 4%.

The region tracked an overnight slump on Wall Street. Micron Technology fell 7.94%, Marvell Technology dropped 7.27%, and Intel declined 4.43%. AMD and Lam Research each fell about 3%.

KOSPI’s 37th Sidecar Fires Again

The Korea Exchange triggered a sell-side sidecar at 9:10 a.m., the year’s 19th. KOSPI 200 futures had already fallen 5.22% to 1,104.40 points.

A sell-side sidecar suspends program sell orders for five minutes. It triggers whenever futures drop 5% or more for at least a minute.

By 9:21 a.m., the cash KOSPI had dropped to 6,886.48, a decline of 5.46%. Sidecars, both buy and sell combined, have now fired 37 times this year, including another KOSPI trading halt at the beginning of July.

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The reversal came fast. Buy-side sidecars had fired on both the KOSPI and KOSDAQ just one day earlier. Foreign investors net-bought 2.33 trillion won of KOSPI shares, briefly pushing the index back above 7,000.

Analysts Flag a Crowded Trade

The selloff came despite strong earnings from ASML. The Dutch chip-equipment maker raised its full-year sales guidance for a second time this year. It projected revenue of 43 billion euros to 45 billion euros.

Louis Kondratev, a trader at XFUNDs, told CNBC the pullback reflects how crowded the AI-driven semiconductor trade has become.

“Semiconductors alone now make up roughly 20% of the S&P 500, which is incredibly difficult to sustain.”

— Louis Kondratev, trader at XFUNDs, CNBC

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He added that valuations may struggle to hold at current levels even if earnings stay strong.

“Earnings momentum has been very strong, but it’s mostly concentrated in semiconductors, and that momentum may begin to slow as valuations find their place.”

— Louis Kondratev, trader at XFUNDs, CNBC

Regulators are also watching the volatility. South Korean officials met Thursday to discuss leveraged ETF products tied to single stocks, reviewing their growing market impact.

Whether this marks a one-day reversal or a deeper correction may depend on the earnings ahead.

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Inflation at 3.2% Pushes Bank of Korea Into First Hike Since 2023

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KOSPI Index Performance.

The Bank of Korea raised its benchmark rate to 2.75% on Thursday, marking its first increase since January 2023 as consumer inflation climbed to a three-year high.

The decision lands as South Korea’s stock market swings violently, with chipmakers SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics leading steep losses on Thursday.

Inflation Forces the BOK’s Hand

Governor Shin Hyun Song, who took office in April, has previously signaled higher rates. On Thursday, the nation’s central bank raised its benchmark rate 25 basis points. The decision matched the forecast in a Reuters poll of economists.

Rising inflation and a weak won drove the move. Headline inflation in Korea reached 3.2% in June, the highest since 2023. The central bank flagged that large IT-sector performance bonuses could feed broader wage gains. That would add pressure on prices.

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Meanwhile, the won has weakened 2.93% against the dollar this year. It slid to 1,561.5 on June 5, its weakest level in 17 years.

Despite currency pressure, the economy has benefited from demand for AI infrastructure. Gross domestic product grew 1.8% in the first quarter.

That marked the fastest quarterly pace in more than five years. The strong data prompted the government to lift its 2026 forecast to a five-year high of 3.0%

Meanwhile, the hike is not an outlier. The European Central Bank lifted rates to 2.25% in June. The Bank of Japan raised its rate to 1.00%, its highest since 1995. A Middle East oil shock is reviving inflation across major economies.

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How the Bank of Korea’s Rate Hike Could Impact Stocks and Crypto

The decision also carries weight for crypto and stocks. South Korea ranks among the most active digital-asset markets, with heavy retail participation via exchanges such as Upbit. Rising domestic borrowing costs tend to compress the capital available for speculative assets. 

Stocks may also face additional pressure. South Korea’s equity market has already seen sharp swings this year, driven by volatile sentiment around AI and semiconductor stocks. 

Higher interest rates could further weigh on the market by tightening financial conditions and prompting investors to rotate away from high-growth technology shares.

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The KOSPI fell nearly 6.0% to 6,852 on Thursday, extending its monthly losses. AI chipmaker SK Hynix plunged 11.05% to 1,852,000 won after a 15% decline earlier in the week, while Samsung Electronics fell more than 3%.

KOSPI Index Performance.
KOSPI Index Performance. Source: Google Finance

The path ahead also matters beyond Thursday’s move. Most economists expect one more hike to 3.00% by year-end. Whether higher rates keep retail investors on the sidelines or redirect capital between stocks and cryptocurrencies remains an open question.

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